Artfully Aging With The Naples Art Association

by Laurel Meny

In the past 100 years, the number of Americans age 65 years and older has grown tenfold and accounts for 13 percent of the population. By 2030, this age group is expected to reach 70 million. Not only are we living longer, but we are searching for meaningful ways to stay engaged.

At the Naples Art Association (NAA), we have found that those that participate in arts programming – including workshops, exhibits, volunteering, and more – not only feel a sense of community, they end up feeling better overall as well. But, don’t just take our word for it.

According to a three-year controlled study conducted by prominent senior psychiatrist Gene Cohen, George Washington University and the National Endowment for the Arts —Creativity and Aging Study —adults ages 65 to 103-years-old who are actively engaged in the arts required fewer medications and doctor visits than the control group.

In his book, The Creative Age: Awakening Human Potential in the Second Half of Life, Cohen argues that people involved in creative activities feel better, remain more independent, and lead more meaningful lives.

In the PBS documentary Arts & the Mind, neuroscientist Dr. Jay Giedd with the National Institute of Mental Health cites the concept of neuroplasticity – meaning that no matter our age, our brains’ neural-pathways continually adapt to our experiences, especially if our activities are mentally and physically engaging – of which creating and viewing art rated quite high.

ANN SULLIVAN ART LOVER, 2015
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The NAA is home to the largest variety of arts programming in Southwest Florida. In keeping with our mission to make arts accessible for all, the NAA is currently participating in a national initiative through Aroha Philanthropies which strives to advance the development of professional teaching artists working with those in their encore years, and encourages the funding, development, and proliferation of arts programs designed to enhance longer lives.

The grant will not only allow the NAA to offer more arts programming, it will also include research on the effects of art as part
of a healthy life.

From three-hour workshops to four week intense instruction with evening and weekend classes too, at the Naples Art Association we encourage you to start your art-filled journey today.

And, don’t miss the upcoming NAA Faculty Biennial, a time-honored tradition, which showcases new work by the extraordinary artists and designers who are also instructors at the Naples Art Association. On display October 29 through November 26, work showcased —ranging from painting, printmaking, ceramics, and glass, to sculpture, illustration, photography, and jewelry – will be as varied as the many departments in which the faculty teach.

ANN SULLIVAN ROSE WALL, 2015
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For more information about the Naples Art Association and its many programs, please visit www.NaplesArt.org.